Press feeder



4 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. T. BEATY PRESS FEEDER Filed July 27, 1923 Aug. 26,1924.

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J. T. BEATY PRES S FEEDER Filed July 27, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I l I\\\\\\\\\\\\\Y 'IIIIIIIIIIIIl l Quorum Patented Aug. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES T. BEATY, 0F CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR TO LIDDELL COM-PANY, OIE CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, A CORPORATION OF NORTH CAROLINA.

PRESS FEEDER.

Application filed July 2'7, 1923. Serial No. 654,200.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES T. BEATY, a citizen of the United StatesofAmerica, residing at Charlotte, in the county of Mecklenburg and Stateof North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPress Feeders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in press feeders and is adapted tobe used in connection with cotton trampers.

My invention is adapted to be operated automatically by the movement ofthe tramper with which such feeders are usually used. An object of myinvention is the construction of one of the press feed rollers inmovable bearings to enable the cotton or other material which hasaccumulated in the slide leading from the condenser while the cotton isbeing pressed in the press box to be rolled readily into the press boxwhen the rollers are started. Another object of my invention is theconstruction of an upper roller with curved end castings enabling theroller to rise at either end without binding and without the other endrising in case the cotton accumulates at one end in greater quantitiesthan at the other end. A further object of my invention is theconstruction of a baflie board which moves with the up and down movementof the upper roller in its bearings. A further object is the provisionof means to regulate the length of the sprocket chain on the clutchsprocket. A still further object is the construction of a shifting barwhich operates efficiently tostop and start the rollers.

With these and further objects in view an embodiment of my invention isshown in the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device with some of the parts brokenaway in order to more clearly illustrate the main features;

Figure 2 is a top plan view with certain parts in section and otherparts omitted;

Figure 3 is an end view;

Figure 4 is an elevation showing the construction and arrangement of theends of the rollers, the sprockets and chain;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the rollers and bafiie board;

Figure 6 is a sectional view on line 66 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view showing tween a smooth roller 2 and acorrugated iv roller 3, it being understood that the cotton from acondenser, not shown, moves down the usual inclined slide 4 to be fedbetween the rollers. The usual tramper head 5, by means of which mypress feeder is automatically operated, connected to its operating beam6, is shown in conventional position. In Figure 1 the tramper head isshown in the position resulting in the revolution of the press feedrollers to fill the press box as will be more fully hereinafterexplained. Attached to the tramper head is a shifting bar 7 having apart 8 in one vertical plane and a longer part 9 in another verticalplane.

Power to operate the press feed rollers is furnished in any desired Wayas by a belt 10 around a pulley 11 said pulley being attached to acountershaft 12 having one end 13 journaled in a suitable bearing 14;,the support for said bearing being of any suitable form as a post 15.The other end of the shaft is supported in bearings 16, the latter beingrendered adjustable by means of screws 17. This countershaft has thereonthe usual ratchet clutch which is operated by a clutch lever 18. Thislever is connected by a shifting rod 19 to a cross head 20 suitablysupported in a cross head box 20*. The nuts 19 on the shifting rod 19render the clutch adjustable. It will be apparent that the cross head isoperated by the shifting bar, the movement of the cross head resultingin placing the clutch in operative and in inoperative positions. Thepart of the clutch 21, keyed to the countershaft, has on it a sprocketwheel 22, and passing around this wheel is a sprocket chain 23 whichpasses around a sprocket 24 on the end of the smooth roller and over asprocket 25 on the end of the corrugated roller. This arrangement of thechain and sprocket results in the smooth roller turning counterclockwiseand the corrugated roller turning clockwise.

The smooth roller has fixed bearings 26. The corrugated roller hasmovable bearings 27 capable of being moved in a vertical plane insockets 28 and prevented from jumping .out of the socket by a stop 28*.This arrangement enables the corrugated roller to move vertically asufiicient distance to allow the cotton which has accumulated during thetime the tramper head is in the press box to pass between the rollers.The movable bearings may have on them suitable resilient bumpers 29 toprevent shock if the corrugated roller suddenly drops. into lowerposition. A bafile board 30 is attached to the movable bearings bycurve-d bars 31. This construction causes the baflie board to move upand down with the corrugated roller. The upper roller has curved endflanges 32. I have found by experiment that the best results areobtained by making the length of the roller equal tothe radius of thecircle made by the curvature of the end of the roller. This constructionpermits the roller to swing from either end on its own radius withoutbinding anywhere.

It will be apparent that the downward movement of the tramper head willrelease the clutch. This result is brought about by the shape of theshifting bar which causes the part 9 to place the clutch in inoperativeposition when it moves down and to cause the part 8 to place the clutchin operative position when it moves up.

These parts of my device which have been described may be suitably heldin position in any of the well-known ways of supporting machinery. Ihave shown sills 33, uprights 34 and press members 35. The guide 36 forthe shifting bar is attached to a connection 37 between the pressmembers. The bearings for the rollers are attached in any suit ablemanner to the uprights. The slide is attached to a casting 38 attachedin any suit-able manner to the upright. The cross head box is suitablyattached to the press members.

The operation of my device. will be readily understood from the abovedescription. It is evident that the downward movement of the tramperhead will release the clutch and stop the action of the feed rollers.The cot-. ton will then pile up against the rollers and the baflleboard. When the tramper head reaches the highest point of its upwardmovement the shifting bar will shift the clutch into operative positionand the cotton will be carried into the press box in a manner wellunderstood.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect byLetters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described, means to carry cotton from acondenser, upper and lower rollers located adjacent said means, theupper of said rollers having bearings permitting upward and downwardmovement of said. roller, a battle board operatively connected to saidupper roller. and means to operate said rollers. r

2. In a device of the character described, means to carry cotton from acondenser, upper and lower rollers located adjacent said means, the endsof said upper roller being curved whereby either end of said roller maybe raised without raising the other end thereof and means to operatesaid rollers.

3. In a device of the character described,

means to carry, cotton from a condenser upper and lower rollers locatedadjacent said means, the ends of the upper roller being curved, theradius of the circle made by the curvature of the ends of the rollerbeing substantially equal to the length of the roller.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JAMES T. BEATY.

